Load strength of schedule 40 1 1/2 in pipe

[nsternberg]

I am attempting to create a "lever" to lift the front of a 14ft 85lb Kayak up 7ft, then manually slide the Kayak to a rail, and then use the lever to lift the back of the kayak to another 7ft high rail on a truck. I decided to attempt this with PVC sections, creating an "L" the vertical shaft about 7ft+ and the horizontal shaft about the same. I would add a rectangular brace in the bottom corner, and a "T" at the top for the Kayak to rest on and a smaller "T" as a handle of the horizontal end. Additionally add legs to the bottom for stability. The vertical and horizontal posts would have screw joints to allow them to be split in half for storage. I am trying to get the Kayak up on a large truck by myself.I attached a crude drawing. Any thoughts on will the PVC support the weight.

 

[Dr.D]

I doubt that you are going to find a tabulated value for the strength because pipe is not intended as a structural member (even though it can be used that way). You will need to find out the material and the physical properties of that material, then do a failure analysis.

 

[nsternberg]

thanks for the response, is there a formula for failure analysis, or is it a process?

 

[Shaun_W]

Just work from first principles.